I hope your 2023 is off to a
strong start! This is often the time where some of the lofty New Year resolutions have lost a little luster and your enthusiasm for them may have waned. Don’t despair, instead take this opportunity to reflect and reset your resolutions. Emil Zatopek was a Czech runner who won the 5,000 meter, 10,000 meter and marathon gold medals in the 1952 Olympics; setting Olympic records at each distance and was arguably the greatest
runner of all time.
In addition to his dominance on the Olympic field, Zatopek shared his sage approach to goal setting: “When you set your aim too high and don’t fulfill it, then your enthusiasm turns to
bitterness. Try for a goal that’s reasonable and then gradually raise it.”
Do not misread this as: “set a low bar,” but, rather, set realistic, achievable goals. It is important to embrace the satisfaction and well-being that comes from taking an incremental step forward rather than sort through the bad feelings that come from making it part of the way to an
out-of-reach, aspirational goal.
Personally, due to some changes in my life (more on this in the next newsletter), I am doing just that. My annual goals for 2023 are a little less aggressive than in past years. I am adjusting to expect smaller gains with the hope of gradually raising the target. This is contrary to my nature of always reaching for ‘more’ and this adjustment
is uncomfortable for me. However, I am taking this opportunity to truly ‘practice what I preach’ and modify my expectations in an effort to feel satisfaction with these changes and less grandiose achievements and not dismay or loss. I hope you will take a similar approach to the coming year, or even the coming months.
Below is a slightly modified excerpt from my 2022 article Authority Magazine: Beating Burnout: Brendan Cournane On The 5 Things You Should Do If You Are Experiencing Work Burnout, and while this article was about beating burnout, the same philosophies apply to setting unachievable goals and setting yourself up not to miss the mark.
To reach success, whatever that looks like to you, each person must acknowledge it takes time to reach
the goal, because goals worth achieving need incremental markers and periodic adjustments.
Yet, we have been told to soldier through, to push harder and harder, no pain, no gain, and quitting is for losers — no matter the cost to our psyche, our bodies, or our social structure.
Forget what we ‘should’ accomplish, what we ‘should’ feel, what we ‘should’ do. Instead, we need to focus on what is and what we need to change to reach or exceed our goal—and adjust accordingly for the best overall outcome. Moral of this story: don’t ‘should’ yourself into disappointment.
It can be nearly as challenging to change how we look at New Year goal setting and resolutions as can be to meet those unrealistic goals. I am working to apply those ideals in my own life. If you are interested in having a guide to help you navigate the challenges ahead and set you on a path to progress in 2023, please click here and set up a complementary 30-minute meet-and-greet with me.
